The retirement crisis has become a topic of conversation in the United States, and while its actualization is still widely debated, there is no doubt Americans need to take additional steps in order to ensure a financially stable retirement – one that allows them to cross off items on their bucket list while managing to pay for medical bills and other essential costs of living.
New data [...]

Not married? Here are strategies to help you maximize your Social Security benefits.
Key takeaways
✔ The longer you delay Social Security, the higher your monthly benefits.
✔ Divorced: Your benefit can be based on your ex-spouse’s work history.
✔ Widowed: Consider claiming survivor’s benefits or your own, and switch later.
✔ Consider all your income sources when [...]

Most people expect to spend less money after they retire. But that might not be the case -- at least not at first.
Spending rose for more than half of taxpayers during the first three years after claiming Social Security, according to a report based on tax data and analyzed by economists at the Investment Company Institute and the IRS.
Those with lower incomes were most likely to be spending [...]

There’s no better time than today to develop your retirement plan and consider options that may be suitable for your future. Fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) can offer lifetime income and provide peace of mind when looking for ways to protect your nest egg from market downturns.
Read about the 5 W’s of FIAs to find out if this is the right option for you.
What is an FIA? A fixed indexed [...]

“How can I feel fine?”
That’s what Julie Elman, from Ohio, wants to know. Julie is 57, retirementis right around the corner, and she’s worried. Despite doing “all the right things,” whenever she spends time reviewing her financial situation, Julie never, ever feels fine about the finance part.
Julie, there is one thing I want you to know. You. Are. Not. Alone.
I’ve traveled all [...]

How to protect beneficiaries from themselves.
Billionaire Warren Buffett was famously quoted as saying that when it came to leaving your children money, the sweet spot is “enough money so that they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.”
Few of us need to worry about leaving our kids so much that they could comfortably choose to do nothing. But many [...]

Summer is here, and the future is brighter than ever. If you are busy planning, saving and budgeting for a summer vacation, use these tips to make the most out of your summer and get your retirement savings on track.
1. Spend less and save more. With this warmer weather, nothing sounds better than going out to dinner with your family or significant other after a long and stressful week at [...]

Summer is here and that calls for some down time relaxing with family and friends. Whether you plan on spending your summer days in the sun or binge-watching your favorite television series, developing a summer savings plan will help you enjoy your days now, and stay on track with your retirement plan to make sure you can enjoy more summer days down the road.
Save smart this summer with these 4[...]

“How can I feel fine?”
That’s what Julie Elman, from Ohio, wants to know. Julie is 57, retirementis right around the corner, and she’s worried. Despite doing “all the right things,” whenever she spends time reviewing her financial situation, Julie never, ever feels fine about the finance part.
Julie, there is one thing I want you to know. You. Are. Not. Alone.
I’ve traveled all [...]

INFLATION WATCH - May 2017
The I.I.I. Inflation Watch spreadsheet contains the latest data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Both current and expected near-term general inflation continue to be low by historical standards, but there are pockets of rising inflation. The CPI-U—the popular measure of inflation, sometimes called headline inflation—rose by 1.9[...]

DO YOU LOSE THE BALANCE OF AN ANNUITY IF YOU DIE?
One common misconception about annuities is that you lose the balance of the annuity if you die. In the case of Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs), the money remaining in your annuity can pass to one or more named beneficiaries after your death.
You can even choose to set up your FIA as “joint life” in order to provide you and your spouse [...]

Here's How Much a Job Loss Now Will Cost You by Retirement
When Americans struggle financially—if they face a job loss or a bout with illness, for example—one of the first places they turn for relief is their retirement savings accounts.
This makes some sense, at least in the short term: Such accounts typically provide ready cash. But the long-term costs are significant, and they plague more[...]

7 Instances When You Will Want Life Insurance for Retirement
A frequent question among those nearing and in retirement is: Do I need life insurance for retirement?
The answer, like most financial planning related questions, is that it depends. When you are working, the purpose of life insurance is to replace your income or pay off large debts in order to help provide for your loved ones or [...]

Three key decisions to make before you retire
When to take Social Security, how to pay for health care, and how to generate income.
Key takeaways:
✔ The longer you can delay collecting Social Security, the higher your benefit.
✔ Plan for health care costs and figure out how you will pay for them.
✔ Match essential expenses like food, housing, and health care with guaranteed [...]

You’ve walked across the stage, shook the university president’s hand, and waved to your beaming family and friends. All of those late nights in the library suddenly feel worth it, but you know with the student loans, the work of school is not quite yet complete. According to a report from HelloWallet, every dollar in student loan debt can end up reducing your overall retirement savings by 35 [...]

Planning For Your Retirement: Understanding Annuities
An annuity can be a very smart retirement investment for many people. That's not just because an annuity can provide a secure revenue stream — a monthly check — for the rest of your life, no matter how long you live. On top of that, the longer you live, the more you get what's called a "mortality credit" as you outlive other people who [...]

ANNUITY SHIFT
National Retirement Planning Week took place in April, and the whole month was Financial Capability Month. April was full of encouragement for individuals to move their retirement savings plans forward.
California’s insurance commissioner, Dave Jones, took part: He put out a widely circulated press release encouraging all Californians, and all Americans, to consider the role[...]

NEW STUDY: 1 IN 3 AMERICANS CONFESS STOPPING RETIREMENT SAVINGS AT LEAST ONCE
While a whopping 94 percent of Americans currently give themselves a passing grade on retirement, a third of them have confessed to stopping retirement savings at least once, according to a new report from the Indexed Annuity Leadership Council.[1] In fact, 20 percent of Baby Boomers don’t have a single dollar put [...]

1 in 4 workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement
You're not alone if you have next to nothing saved for retirement. But that doesn't mean you're in good company.
Almost one-quarter of workers said they and their spouse combined have less than $1,000 saved for retirement, according to a report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Nearly half of everyone surveyed said they had [...]

The power and pitfalls of retirement savers' illusions
Study finds that the format in which information is presented affects an individual’s perception of wealth (or poverty)
A new study has found that one difficulty workers saving for retirement have in judging whether they’re on track is that they could be under the “illusion of wealth” or, conversely, under the “illusion of [...]

10 misconceptions about saving for medical care in retirement
Retirement isn’t the only thing workers have trouble saving for; the other big gap in planning is health care.
According to a Voya Financial survey, Americans just aren’t ready to pay for the health care they might need in retirement. Their estimates of what they might need are low—when they estimate them at all, that is—and[...]

The power and pitfalls of retirement savers' illusions
Study finds that the format in which information is presented affects an individual’s perception of wealth (or poverty)
A new study has found that one difficulty workers saving for retirement have in judging whether they’re on track is that they could be under the “illusion of wealth” or, conversely, under the “illusion of [...]

4 Things to Eliminate From Your Life for a Happy Retirement
What you remove is just as important as what you add.
Many retirement articles have been written about all the wonderful things you can do with the free time you will have after you retire. Once you leave work, you’ll have more time to travel, volunteer, take courses, play golf, enjoy hobbies and so much more. The possibilities [...]

What Are the Different Types of Annuities?
Fixed vs. Variable Annuities
In a fixed annuity, the insurance company guarantees the principal and a minimum rate of interest. In other words, as long as the insurance company is financially sound, the money you have in a fixed annuity will grow and will not drop in value. The growth of the annuity’s value and/or the benefits paid may be fixed at a [...]

5 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE PURCHASING AN INDEXED ANNUITY
Indexed annuities offer a unique and attractive blend of safety, growth potential, tax advantages, lifetime income and liquidity. But, it’s important to understand the terms of your individual contract. Here are some questions you can ask your insurance agent before signing on the dotted line.
1) How long is the term?
Review the term [...]

How to Save For Retirement When You’re Raising Kids Alone
It can be hard to save when you’re the only adult in the house, but putting money aside for retirement should be non-negotiable.
Whether you are divorced, widowed or a single parent by choice, raising kids alone can be financially challenging. There is typically no second income to rely on, and tax breaks for singles can be less [...]

3 WAYS TO BRIDGE THE GENDER SAVINGS GAP
This post originally appeared on the National Life Group Main Street blog on 3/9. By Maria McLendon.
When it comes to savings, the gender savings gap is huge. A recent study[1] indicated that women have 50% lower savings than their male counterparts. There are a number of reasons that this disparity exists, among these are that, on average, women earn [...]

DON’T TAKE THE JOURNEY THROUGH RETIREMENT SAVINGS ALONE
We live in a high-tech world where information about all topics under the sun is available at our fingertips. We are moving toward self-service and automatic access to everything. You can look at your checking account balance on your phone; you can make dinner reservations with a couple of clicks, and you can confirm a dentist appointment [...]

Fixed Indexed Annuities: Principal Protection and Growth Potential
Whether aiming for asset growth or protection, clients today face tough decisions when it comes to investing their retirement assets. They may be concerned about tying up money in a low-rate fixed account and missing the boat if rates increase. And with the unpredictable stock market, clients may see securities and variable [...]

FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN
Finding your soulmate and saving for retirement actually have a lot in common. Both can be intimidating, require careful planning and lead to some nerve-wracking decisions. However, making informed steps in both scenarios can leave you feeling happy and secure.
Fall in love with your retirement savings plan with these helpful tips:
ALL YOU [...]

10 Common Spending Regrets
Wasted money on a purchase? Here's a look at items people buy and wish they didn't
Time-shares
1) The time-share industry, known for its seductive marketing practices, plays on people's fantasies of owning property in popular vacation areas and being able to travel the world by simply swapping time-shares. In reality, many time-share owners find that ever-increasing [...]

Why Retirees Should Consider Indexed Annuities
Given their inverse relationship, when bond interest rates begin to climb, bond prices decrease in market value—as they have been for the last year especially. When approaching retirement, what strategies are retirees left with to ensure long-term financial success?
Principal Protection
Planning for the future, and retirement [...]

20 Things You Can Learn From Your Parents’ Retirement
Millennials are saving more than ever for retirement, at an average 7.5 percent of income. Still, this number, which was released as part of a recent report on retirement readiness from investment firm Fidelity, is far from the firm’s recommended benchmark of 15 percent per year.
For today’s young workers, planning for retirement [...]

New Study: America's Retirement IQ is Low
Boomers Lack Knowledge & Are Undersaved for Retirement
A startling number of baby boomers don’t know how much money they need to live comfortably during retirement, and without a target in mind, have ended up saving very little. In fact, 1 in 4 baby boomers have less than $5k saved for retirement.
But the good news for boomers struggling to [...]

BRINGING BALANCE TO YOUR RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO
In our hectic lives, balance is something many of us strive to achieve. From work-life balance to finding balance in your yoga class, we’re all looking for a little more of it.
In terms of planning for the future, have you thought about ways to balance your retirement portfolio? These 3 practical tips will make sure you’re not putting all your [...]

Offer FIAs to take advantage of retirement income opportunities
Gen X designate more than $25 trillion in financial assets for retirement income. This is roughly double the amount today.
Jafor Iqbal, assistant vice president of the Secure Retirement Institute and author of “The Retirement Income Reference Book 2015,” identifies three significant opportunities in the retirement [...]

RETIREMENT SAVINGS RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR
While getting your health into shape tops many Americans’ New Year’s resolution list, getting your finances in shape should be another goal you make in the New Year. Why is this so important? A recent study showed that nearly 40 percent of Americans don’t have any retirement savings. That’s a big deal. This year, consider [...]

11 Money Lies to Stop Telling Yourself
Nope, credit cards aren't evil.
Sometimes it’s easier to believe a fantasy than it is to face reality — and when it comes to money, many people hold false beliefs. When you’re young, the future seems far away, and you might think there’s time to make up for your financial mistakes later. Unfortunately, whether you’re putting off [...]

Social Security beneficiaries will receive a slight increase in their Social Security checks in 2017. There have also been several recent tweaks to the program that change how married couples can collect benefits. Here’s a look at the new Social Security rules for 2017:
A modest increase in payments. Social Security payments will increase by 0.3 percent beginning in January 2017. [...]

The run up to the holidays at the end of the month is an especially great time to teach young children some money and life lessons.
Have The Kids Clean Their Closets, Rooms, and Playrooms. The goal is to create a single pile of all the toys, books and clothes that are no longer used or wanted. As a family take a look at the pile and separate the stuff that was used a lot-but has outgrown its [...]

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

The retirement crisis has become a topic of conversation in the United States, and while its actualization is still widely debated, there is no doubt Americans need to take additional steps in order to ensure a financially stable retirement – one that allows them to cross off items on their bucket list while managing to pay for medical bills and other essential costs of living.
New data [...]

IRA BLOG

The once-per-year rollover rule says that you can only roll over one IRA distribution from all of your IRAs (both traditional and Roth) in a one-year period. This is a tricky rule and many taxpayers have run into trouble with it. One area that can be very confusing is determining exactly what the definition of “year” is.
Here is how it works. You can only rollover IRA funds once every 12 [...]